The Presence of Light

August 19, 1993

A FRIEND who works at a large research complex in our area told of the concerns of the workers there over national budget cuts, reductions in the military, and other changes that could result in layoffs. An unofficial memorandum was being circulated that read, "Because of budget cuts, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off."

While the wit of the "joke" cannot be denied, the faulty logic can and should be, because hopelessness is no joke. Light symbolizes hope and truth, a way out of darkness and difficulties. To deny the presence of this light is to deny the ever-presence of the Christ, Truth, which Jesus revealed and which provides the healing solution to every human problem. Thus one would ignorantly and unnecessarily place himself in a hopeless state.

My friend is a Christian Scientist, and she affirmed that the light of Christ, which lights the way for everyone, cannot be turned off. My friend understood this light as having its source in God and therefore as unchanging and eternal.

The very first chapter of the Bible tells us, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good" (Genesis 1:3, 4). We dwell in the light of God, divine Love, in the assurance and confidence of His care. As we trust in divine Love's care for us, His spiritual offspring, what we need to know and to do in every circumstance will be revealed to us.

Let's return to the tunnel light, which was supposed to be turned off. Who could do that? The CEO or the personnel department? How about the local or world economy? None of these have access to the switch; they don't have the power to darken our lives, for God, good, is the only power.

How does this relate to the worker who fears that his job will be the next to go, or who is presently unemployed? If he believes that he is governed by his education or paycheck, the job market or the economy, his view may be very dark. But we are governed by divine Love.

This has been proved often in my family. There were times when we needed more income or faced job changes or were temporarily unemployed. We learned to live more simply, I became an expert breadmaker, and we accepted with gratitude the evidence of God's provision, which often came to us in unexpected ways. Leaning on God enabled us to see His care not only for us but for everyone.

I recall that one day, just before we were leaving town for a few days, our rent check was returned by the bank because of insufficient funds. This was so embarrassing to me that I cried. I thought, "I do have my pride!" Then the thought came, "Who needs pride?" I knew that what I needed was to express the qualities of God more fully. I dried my tears and went to apologize to the landlord. He replied, "Don't worry about it. Do you need money for gas?" He was certainly expressing love!

I'm grateful to say our financial needs and responsibilities have all been met since that time. And as a result of this experience I gained greater compassion and prayed more for those who become homeless.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of this newspaper, in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, describes the Biblical term wilderness as "loneliness; doubt; darkness. Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence" (p. 597). The light of Christ is revealing "the great facts" that we exist as God's loved offspring, cared for by Him today and always.